Shattered
by Kitsuru
Summary: [Discontined] Sakura begins having odd, frightening dreams, and Cerberus and Yue sense something is wrong. As she begins to lose both her Cards and her friends, she can feel that her time is running out. Sakura X Eriol
1. Default Chapter

**CHAPTER 1:**

**Premonition of the Dark**

* * *

"Do you feel it too?" Cerberus asked, though the answer was obvious. The night was soft, softer than velvet, so many would think. Mist danced along, it's cottony edges curling around the Kinomoto household. Yue, standing next to Cerberus, both looking outside from Sakura's room, nodded.

"Whatever it is, it's powerful. Maybe even more so than Sakura." Yue said, softly. Sakura herself was snoring, as neither Cerberus nor Yue wanted to wake her at 2:30 AM.

"Perhaps…. But there is something more. A feeling of wrongness." Cerberus growled.

"Indeed."

* * *

Sakura was walking through a plush, lovely darkness. It wasn't frightening, but friendly.

"Sakura…" Whispered a voice, and she stopped.

"Hello? Who's there?" She asked, loudly.

"Sakura…" The voice repeated, louder this time. No, not louder. Closer. Whatever was speaking her name, it was coming towards her!

"Who are you?" Sakura inquired, a sinking feeling signaling to her that something was wrong.

"Sakura…." Came the whisper once again, sinister, and right next to her ear! Hot breath crept upon her neck, and she screamed.

"SAKURA!" A voice cried in her ear, waking her up.

* * *

She was drenched in sweat. She gasped for breath and fought to keep tears from coming. There was something watching her! The nightmare speaker! Then, it's presence faded from her awareness, and she noticed Yue and Cerberus.

"EEK!" She said at the sight of them, shocked. "What are you doing here, Yue! And Kero-chan, why are you in your true form? What's going on?"

"The power is gone now." Yue said, going to the window.

"What power?" Sakura asked.

"Sakura, what was your nightmare about? You were screaming, so I assume it was one." Cerberus said, eyes worried and concerned.

"Um….I think I was walking somewhere… it was really dark, and then I heard a voice calling my name, over and over, and getting closer and closer. It scared me, and when it was right next to me, I woke up." Sakura said, frowning as she tried to remember the details.

"Something about that sounds familiar…" Yue mused, but he shook his head when they asked why. Cerberus did not recall anything like what Sakura had dreamt, but he could guess what it was.

"A premonition?" She asked, forgetting for a moment what they were. "What are… oh, waitaminute! You may be right!"

"Well, I must be going." Yue said. "Yukito volunteered to help out the baseball team today, and I doubt he'd appreciate an exhausted body."

They said farewell to him, and as he left, Cerberus turned into Kero and Sakura went back to sleep.

"What could it mean…?" Kero asked aloud in a soft voice, before closing his eyes to sleep.

* * *

"Sakura… I cannot wait to finally meet you…" Whispered the being, standing under a tree nearby the house. "I think you'll make an…interesting addition to my little collection…"

It laughed, a sinister sound, and raised a hand in a mock salute. Unbeknownst to Sakura, the Cards turned black for a moment as he did so.


	2. Chapter 2

Chapter Two

The cherry blossoms, their petals pink and pure, fell upon the trio gathered by the wall of the school, well away from curious eyes and ears. The sun, clear and bright, wound through the descending flowers. The day, one of complete beauty, did not appear to even register in the tense eyes of the group.

"I don't remember reading or hearing about anything like what you dreamed. But Yue and Cerberus are likely to be correct." Syanoran Li, Sakura's friend and former beloved (they had broken up a few months ago, though they had remained good friends).

"You think that it is a prophetic dream, then, too?" Tomoyo, Sakura's long-time best friend and confidant, thought for a moment after her words, then nodded. "Yes, that's probably the case…"

"But what could it mean?" Kero asked, poking his head out of Sakura's backpack.

"Hoe!" Sakura cried.

"Kero-chan, what are you doing here!" Blurted Tomoyo.

"What are you thinking, you stuffed animal!" Demanded Syanoran.

"What else? You all need help. I can give it to you." Kero said, casually grabbing a chocolate bar out of Syanoran's hand and chowing down. Syanoran tried to get the candy back, and Kero bit him. Shouting, Syanoran tried to grab Kero, who ducked his head back into the backpack, smirking.

"Um…" Sakura noticed that that everybody around them had begun staring. "Um…"

"Practice for the talent show! Li-kun and Sakura-chan are doing a husband and wife skit!" Tomoyo improvised.

"We are!" Sakura and Syanoran chorused.

"Oh, year. We are!" Syanoran said, after a moment of not getting it.

"Hoe?" Sakura was still confused.

Walking home from school, with Syanoran and Tomoyo, everything seemed great. The birds, singing cheerfully. The cherry blossoms, still falling. The sky, the deepest black… Sakura did a double-take. The sky wasn't just cloudy, it was the darkest black, a black hole engulfing the world! Fear filled her, a raging whirlpool within her usually optimistic heart. The sky should be blue, with the sun shining happily! What was going on!

"Sakura, did you use The Dark or something?" Kero asked, nervously.

"No, but maybe I should use The Light…" She opened her backpack, Kero hovering over her shoulder, Tomoyo digging through her own bag for her video camera, and Syanoran looking uneasily above.

"Let's see…" She searched through the Sakura Cards. The Wood, The Mirror, The Erase, The Light… she dropped the cards, startled. A single card floated behind the others, labeled The Dark… however, it was a bloody red, and painfully devoid of The Dark herself.

Laughter rode the breeze high above, as a cloaked figure watched Sakura and her companions, and on a burnished iron chain around it's wrist hung a single shard of a green gem. The darkness deepened, pulsed even, while the spectator chuckled wickedly.


	3. Chapter 3

"Sakura! Look out!" Dazed and focused on retrieving the fallen cards, Sakura did not eact quickly enough to the cry of warning. She managed to turn around, however, just in time to see a golden blur as Kero, in his true form, leapt in front of her. Then, the darkness was briefly replaced by a blinding light and a tremulous screaming sound…

Opening her eyes, Sakura looked around. She was surrounded by mist, and the others had vanished. She frowned, confused, for a moment. It hit her within moments… this was her dream! And yet… was it still a dream? It felt odd, neither like a dream nor reality. She almost felt like she was floating, and had to look at her feet (shrouded in mist though they were) to confirm that they were on solid ground.

Looking up, she noticed an odd light straining towards her from the foggy curtain. She stepped forward, trying to see what it was…

"Sakura." That voice… turning around, Sakura saw Cerberus.

"Kero-chan!" She ran over to him. "Where are we? What's going on?"

"Sakura." Kero's voice was serious, dangerous even. "The darkness can either blind you or guide you. A reflection shows what one cannot. When all hope is lost, look to those who thrive in shadow. And, Sakura…"

"Kero-chan, you aren't making any sense!" The instant she spoke those words, an odd sound reached Sakura's ears. "What is that?"

"SAKURA!" She jumped, then stared at the growling creature of the seal. He was… frightened? A chill ran down her spine, Kero was NEVER afraid! Then, to add to her mounting fear and confusion, the mist closed in around them, and she sensed the menace that it concealed.

"Sakura… you must listen! The cards are em—" Straining to hear Kero's voice, even as the mist blocked her sight of him, Sakura stepped forward….

And, moaning, she opened her eyes. She was a slightly damp bed, no doubt from her own sweat. A cry of alarm drew her attention to Tomoyo, who had been asleep in a chair next to her bed, and had awoken when Sakura had groaned.

Struggling to sit up, Sakura found that she was in her bedroom. Syanoran, who had fallen asleep in a corner, literally fell over at Tomoyo's shout. Yue, Toya, Sakura's father, and someone else that remained hidden at the rear of the group entered.

"Hoe?" Sakura said, startled. "What's going on?"

"You've been unconscious for three days, now." Yue explained.

"THREE DAYS! But what about school! I had a huge test that I had to take!" Sakura yelped.

"School was canceled due to the panic about the sky darkening." Syanoran said, standing up.

"So then it wasn't a dream…?" She said, softly. Then, Sakura's eyes widened. "Kero!"

The group gathered around her bed did not speak for a truly long moment, so long an instant that even eternity was a blur in comparison. Finally, the stranger stepped forward. He wore a hooded sweatshirt, from which a few tufts of dark hair poked out. He seemed a bit older than Toya, perhaps 18 or 19? And yet… he was familiar as well.

Then it hit her, the shock almost knocking her out again. As she gaped at the stranger, she opened her mouth to attempt to speak, but no words emerged at first. After a moment, she managed to muster up the strength to cry out:

"It's you!"


	4. Chapter 4

Disclaimer: Sorry for never putting this up before, but I don't own Cardcaptors in any way whatsoever, and I would rather not be sued!

A/N: Sorry about taking so long (again)! Between finals at school, four weeks at camp, and a month of computer malfunctions, I had a bit of a hard time working on this. And then there was the writers' block… but I'm rambling now, aren't I?

By the way… if a few things seem odd when you're reading this story, please note that, though I've seen _some_ of the anime, I'm writing this based on the manga version. The only huge differences that I've come across would be the cards (for example: While the anime featured fifty-three Clow/Sakura Cards, the manga had nineteen.).

The last thing I'd like to say is, as you can see, I've changed my name. I used to be 'Kitsuen,' and now, I'm 'Kitsuru.' Sorry for any confusion this caused.

----

That voice…

If Sakura had had the energy, she would have jumped out of bed. That voice was so familiar to her… but whose was it! She peered curiously at what could be seen beneath the hood, frowning. Glasses obscured the eyes of the speaker, and the hood shadowed the remainder of the face. All she could see was the long black hair that he allowed to tumble over his shoulders. But that smile…

"You! You can't be him…" Sakura's hands gripped the blanket tightly as she felt the blood drain from the face.

"Who can't he be?" Toya asked, scowling as he pushed through the crowd to get closer to his sister. The stranger said nothing, and merely removed the hood.

He was younger than he had been the few times she had seen him, sure, but how could this young man be anyone else? His hair was not tied back, as it was when she had seen him before, and the lenses were larger, and had a rectangular shape to them, rather than the small circular spectacles she recalled him wearing. The face didn't seem as—sharp, for lack of a better word, but the eyes held the same gentle wisdom they always had.

"Clow Reed…?" She managed to choke out…

…And then everything went black.

----

"…Believe that?" Toya's disgruntled, yet worried, voice spoke as Sakura found herself coming to. "After sleeping for over a day, she _finally_ wakes up and knocks herself out in _minutes_!"

"I doubt that she will be out for long." That was Yue, Sakura realized drowsily. For a moment, she pondered opening her eyes, but decided she was too exhausted to do so…

"What makes you think that?" Toya asked, doubt coloring his voice. "Knowing my sister, she'll be asleep for a _year_. She—OW! Hey, knock it off, you stuffed animal!"

"Suppi-chan!" There was an odd banging sound. "Don't bite my boyfriend!"

Complete and total silence. Sakura cautiously opened an eye to see a very familiar black cat lying, immobile, on the ground (complete with a large lump on his head). An equally familiar young woman had wrapped her arms around Toya, who had closed his eyes and was breathing deeply to keep from growing violent. Yue looked slightly amused, before glancing over at Sakura and noticing she was awake.

"Sakura!" The Judge hurried to his Mistress's side, an expression of worry on his normally guarded face.

"So, the monster wakes up." Toya said, practically _flying_ out of the embrace he had been trapped in, he was at her bedside before she even realized that he'd gone back to referring to her as monster, something the young man had not done since he had lost his magic.

"I told you not to call me that!" Sakura nearly growled, trying to kick her brother… and falling out of bed for it.

"Sakura! Long time no see!" Toya paled as, once again, he found himself in the clutches of a certain someone that he would rather be very, _very _far away from.

"Yeah, it has been a while…" Sakura said, smiling slightly. "How've you been, Ruby Moon?"

In so many ways, Ruby Moon and Spinel Sun—also known, in their true forms, as Nakuru and Suppi—resembled their predecessors, Yue and Cerberus. Created by the reincarnation of Clow Reed, they acted as his Guardians and protectors… just as Yue and Kero did for her…

Kero… Sakura felt her eyes burn with unshed tears, as the memories of what had happened raced through her mind. He was gone…

No! Clenching her fists under her blankets, the girl closed her eyes. Kero wasn't gone! She'd save him… somehow...

_I'm sure he'll be all right…_ The young Mistress of the Sakura Cards thought. She heard herself whisper the words of her invincible spell. "I'm sure I'll be all right…"

"You may be alright, but I think that stuffed animal's going to be out for a while." Toya said, shaking her out of her reverie as he prodded the unconscious Suppi with a foot.

"Give him some ice cream, and he'll be fine!" Nakuru said dismissively. "In fact, would you mind getting some, Yue? Thanks!"

Said guardian's eyes hardened at the 'request.' Sakura winced at the sight, knowing full well that Nakuru had just made a huge mistake.

"Do not think you can order me around, Ruby Moon." The Judge was practically _snarling_ at his counterpart. "I am _not _going to humor you as my other self does—frankly, I've been tempted more than once to take over his body and show you the folly of your manipulations! If you want something done, I recommend that you go to the trouble of doing it yourself!"

Nakuru blinked a few times, obviously startled at the vehemence with which The Judge had answered, before beginning to pout. She sniffed, seemingly on the verge of tears. "B-but… Toya! Did you hear how mean he was to me!"

Toya cleared his throat, pointedly ignoring her wailing. He looked at his sister with no little worry and—was that fear?

_He's concerned about me… or maybe he's afraid of Nakuru? _The teenager blinked, as another thought crossed her mind. _Come to think of it, what's she doing here? Shouldn't she be in England with Eriol?_

At long last, it hit her. If Eriol's Guardian's weren't in England, then… was he? Unbidden, the memory of the one who looked almost exactly like Clow Reed rose in her mind… all of those differences from the magician she had seen, she recalled in one person…

But it had only been a few years since she had last seen the second reincarnation of Clow Reed… but the man seemed to be at least three years older than her seventeen, while Eriol had used his magic to remain at the same age as Sakura.

_It's… it's not possible…_ But in the back of her mind, she knew that 'impossible' never seemed to stay such. After she had opened the Book of the Clow Cards, to be honest, 'impossible' pretty much lost all meaning in her life.

Even as Suppi—now on the rampage due to a sugar rush (evidently, someone had fallen for Nakuru's ploy and given the feline some ice-cream)—bounced off of her head in his pursuit of sugary snacks, Sakura could not help but wonder—had Eriol returned?

And why did her heart skip a beat at the thought of him doing so?

----

And that's the end of another chapter. I originally planned for a total of five chapters for this story, but I'm not so sure that will end up being the case… it's looking like it will end up being something closer to eight or nine.

Sorry to leave off at another cliffhanger…but I was in a hurry to get this done before school started (and I JUST made it… school starts this Wednesday!). However, I've been working on chapter length, so from now on, each chapter will have a minimum of 1,000 words.

There _will_ be romance. For those who don't like Eriol and Sakura as a couple, I'd suggest you stop reading now. It's just a suggestion, and personally, I'm hoping that nobody follows it. I'm also planning on a few other couples, but the focus will be on Sakura and Eriol.

I'd like to thank all of my reviewers (although I'm only replying to those who reviewed chapter three)

**Mystic Anime Mew Mew**: I have to agree with you about cliffhangers. Unfortunately, it can be tough NOT to do them…

**Watersage/Sakura**: Thanks for the compliment. I'll try to get the next chapter out as soon as I can.

**Mystical-Dreamer57**: I guarantee you, you'll find out for sure the identity of the Clow look-alike next chapter! And thanks for the compliment!

I've finished the rough draft for the next chapter, so I'm able to provide a preview for it:

_Sakura nearly fell into the chair, her eyes wide with shock. For a moment, all she could do was stare at her trembling hands. Even as she raised her eyes, she found her sight blurred by the tears she tried desperately to staunch._

"_It… it can't be…" She managed to whisper, searching desperately for agreement in the eyes of those gathered around her. Instead, she found sorrow, grief… and truth. _

As she tried to staunch the tears that she could no longer keep at bay, she knew that her life would never again be the same.


	5. Chapter 5

Disclaimer- I got everything on my Christmas list except for ownership of CardCaptors and xxxHolic… oh well, there's always next year!

**Heidi**- Eriol and Sakura do make a cute couple, don't they:)

**Yaya**- Sorry about the long wait… I'll try to be faster with the next chapter.

**Mystical-Dreamer57**- I'll say exactly what's going on (and who's doing it—although it may be an OC) within the next few chapters…

**CCSLover**- Hopefully, this was worth the wait. :)

Happy Holidays, everyone, and enjoy Chapter Five of Shattered!

* * *

Instead of the sunlight, darkness shone through the small window, spilling onto Sakura's bed in a disturbing parody of the morning that it should have been. The sounds of her friends' and family downstairs could hardly be heard The young Mistress of the Sakura Cards stared down at the pool of shadow, wondering bitterly if even her invincible spell could help her out of this mess. 

The crash of breaking glass broke through her thoughts. As shouting arose, Sakura looked out of her window to see a group of kids—maybe high school, or even college students?—trying to get through the window that they had shattered. Several of them were waving flashlights around as they argued at the top of their lungs with the owner of the house, an elderly man whose eyes had always seemed to be smiling, even when he was scolding a certain young CardCaptor for accidentally throwing her cheerleading baton through his window. He wasn't smiling now… he was clearly frightened, most likely due to the fact that several of the teenagers had begun screaming at him. A few were shaking what Sakura guessed to be weapons at the old man.

_What is it…?_ The girl wondered, watching the kids with sorrow. _What is it about this lack of light that makes people act so cruel? _

"They've lost hope."

Sakura turned around to see who had spoken, her eyes widening at the sight of the Clow-lookalike from earlier.

"_You! You can't be him…" Sakura's hands gripped the blanket tightly as she felt the blood drain from the face._

"_Who can't he be?" Toya asked, scowling as he pushed through the crowd to get closer to his sister. The stranger said nothing, and merely removed the hood._

_He was younger than he had been the few times she had seen him, sure, but how could this young man be anyone else? His hair was not tied back, as it was when she had seen him before, and the lenses were larger, and had a rectangular shape to them, rather than the small circular spectacles she recalled him wearing. The face didn't seem as—sharp, for lack of a better word, but the eyes held the same gentle wisdom they always had._

"_Clow Reed…?" She managed to choke out…_

…_And then everything went black._

She blushed at the memory of fainting. Now that she was able to get a second look, however, she noticed that he didn't look as much like Clow Reed as she had thought… he looked a lot like him, yes, but not a _lot._

_Great… now my own thoughts aren't making any sense…_ Resisting the urge to groan aloud in exasperation, she watched the young man walk over to the window, his eyes dim from behind the thick lenses of his glasses. For a moment, the only sounds were those of the teenagers outside. 

But only for a moment.

"So, how have you been… Eriol?"

* * *

Eriol Hiiragizawa smiled inwardly as he looked at the girl. She was perceptive, even if she herself didn't realize that fact… startlingly naïve in many ways, but perceptive beyond words in many others. "So, how did you know it was me?" 

"It wasn't that hard…" She answered, smiling a smile that was only half true. "Once I got over the shock of seeing someone who looked enough like Clow to be his twin, that is!"

_Well, to be honest, I'm surprised that your father doesn't look more like me… or rather, like Clow…_ Eriol thought. _After all, we are both his reincarnations…_

"Well, to be honest… I got a bit of a hint from the fact that Spinel Sun and Nakuru-san were in my room about a half hour ago." Sakura admitted. "Is Suppi-chan still…?

"On a sugar rush?" Eriol finished, and Sakura nodded. "At the moment, my cute little descendant is trying to find him ekiyabe. For some reason, that usually snaps him out of it…"

"Really?" Sakura asked, confused. "How did you find that out?"

"Let's say I owe it to… an old friend." He said, fighting back a blush as he recalled the incident. _I hope Yuko doesn't find out I called her old… she doesn't take kindly to that…_

"I see…" She said, although it was obvious that she didn't. "Hey, speaking of old friends, is Mizuki-sensei here?"

He was silent, his eyes straying from the girl who watched him so hopefully. "…No, she isn't."

"Why not?" She was insightful in many ways… but this was one of the ways in which she wasn't.

"She…" He heard himself falter, and felt . "Kaho…she…"

Finally, he looked back at the confused girl, forcing himself to finish answering her question… no matter how much he wished that the answer wasn't what it was.

"…She died…"

* * *

_Died…? Mizuki-sensei… died?_

Sakura sat there, staring at Eriol. His words kept bouncing around her mind, but she could not grasp their meaning. It was impossible. It couldn't be true. He had to be lying.

He's never lied to you before… The whisper, in the back of her mind, was soft… but potentially deadly. She looked into the anguished eyes of the one who had helped her to create the Sakura Cards… 

…And began to cry.

She couldn't help it. The thought of Kaho Mizuki, who was both a friend and a teacher to her, who had helped her to pass the Final Judgment… the thought that she was dead was too much to bear. But she could not deny the anguish in Eriol's eyes, the grief of one who had lost a loved one…

She felt a pair of strong arms enfold her… and saw, through her blurred vision, a warm shoulder. A hand stroked her hair, and a voice tried to comfort her—although she could hear that it was the speaker that was truly in need of comfort.

They stayed like that for what could have been either an eternity… or a mere moment. There was no way for her to tell… all she knew through her sorrow was that Eriol put aside his own to soothe her.

Finally, Sakura felt herself begin to relax, leaning into his hold even as her sobs began to subside. With an effort, she made herself pull away from him, wiping away the last of the tears from her face. _Later… I will be able to cry for her later…_

"What did you mean when you said that they had 'lost hope?'" She asked without preamble.

He looked back at the window, his eyes gleaming despite the lack of light.. It took the reincarnated magician a moment to answer. "Sakura… when people discover something, they feel that they need something to remind them of it—especially when it's something that they cannot see. Of those who lose that reminder, many believe that they have lost whatever they were reminded of as well."

"Um…" Sakura frowned, trying to puzzle it out. "So… what have they lost? Is the sun really that important to them?"

"Yes—but it's not just the sun." Eriol looked back at her, his expression solemn. "It's the moon, the stars…"

"…It's light…" Sakura realized. The magician nodded before continuing.

" And now, because they believe that they have lost hope, they are perilously close to truly losing it…"

"But what could do something like that?" Sakura asked.

"Not what… _who_…"

* * *

Sorry for killing off Kaho… I'll explain how she died in the next chapter, during which Sakura should _finally_ get out of bed! In either that chapter or the next one, I'll also get around to revealing the identity of the 'who' Eriol mentioned, as well. 

Would anyone mind if I put in a small crossover with xxxHolic? I sort of already did, what with mentioning Yuko and ekiyabe (a hangover cure that Yuko uses).

Don't forget to leave a review before you go!


	6. Chapter 6

**Authors Note:**

I'm sorry about this, but I'm going to discontinue Shattered.

I'd like to thank anyone who's still reading this fic. It was great while it lasted, but between school, a lack of reviews, and the fact that I'm no longer as great a fan of CCS (I still like it, but I've moved on to obsessing over other anime and manga since I started Shattered) or the Eriol x Sakura pairing, I just can't keep writing this story.

I'll still write. But I'll probably stick to one-shots, or only upload a chapter story when I've pre-written most of the chapters beforehand. But I probably won't upload anything until the workload at school gets a bit lighter. And there's very little chance of me updating this again.

If anyone wants, I can post how I had planned the rest of the story to turn out, as well as the one-shot I wrote that gave me the idea for Shattered, which I would have posted as a sequel had I finished the story…

Once again, I'd like to thank everyone who read this. Especially **Mikaro**, who wrote the

only review for the last chapter.

Yours truly,

Kitsuru


End file.
